Transfer device for transferring pedestrians between two sequential moving surfaces

ABSTRACT

A transfer device for transferring objects, including pedestrians, between sequential moving-surfaces disposed in a common plane. The device comprises first rollers housed in a platform and defining a first object bearing-surface disposed substantially in the common plane. In one embodiment, the rollers comprise balls; in another, they comprise cylinders. A plate mounted on the platform defines a comb that slidably meshes with ribs of a conveyor belt that defines one of the moving surfaces. Second rollers are housed in the plate, providing a second object bearing-surface. The platform pivots within a limited and adjustable angle towards and away from one of the moving surfaces, when an object becomes jammed between the platform and the moving surface, and slides perpendicularly to said angle, by a small amount, when the ribs force the comb laterally.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a transfer device for transferringobjects between two sequential moving-surfaces, and more particularly toa conveyor for pedestrians fitted with such a transfer device.

There are known conveyors comprising a continuous conveyor belt madefrom a deformable material or from a series of elements withsubstantially flat transport surfaces, permitting the transportation ofpedestrians at a higher speed than a normal walking pace. Such conveyorsrequire an accelerator element between the conveyor belt and thestationary entry floor to gradually accelerate pedestrians from awalking pace to the higher speed of the conveyor belt, and a deceleratorelement to gradually decelerate pedestrians back to a normal walkingpace between the exit of the conveyor belt and the stationary exitfloor.

The reference EP-A-0 509 861 discloses a conveyor of the kind definedabove. As mentioned in this reference, in order to cross the transitionzones between the exit of the accelerator element and the entry of theconveyor belt, and between the exit of the conveyor belt and the entryof the decelerator element, pedestrians must drop from one level to asubsequent transportation element located on a lower level. This dropmay cause pedestrians to lose their balance, particularly challengingdisabled persons and persons of reduced mobility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the above-stated inconvenience of knownconveyors and provides both a transfer device disposed between twotransport elements, and a conveyor fitted with such a device.

The transfer device of the invention transports pedestrians between afirst transport element and a second transport element arrangedsequentially, each element comprising a substantially flat transportsurface for transporting pedestrians. The transfer device comprises aplatform for a first pedestrian bearing-surface located substantially ina plane common to the transport surfaces of both transport elements. Thefirst pedestrian bearing-surface comprises rollers permitting thelow-friction displacement of the pedestrians from one transport elementto the next.

The transfer device also comprises a plate with teeth forming a combthat engages longitudinal grooves in a transport element. This plate isfastened to the transfer device's platform and comprises a secondpedestrian bearing-surface also located on substantially the same planeas the platform and also having rollers.

According to a preferred embodiment, the rollers in both the platformand comb-shaped plate comprise balls rotatably accommodated within blindholes. The rollers project beyond the surfaces of the platform and thecomb-shaped plate so as to define the aforesaid bearing surfaces forpedestrians. The balls in the platform are held within theircorresponding blind holes by a plate fastened to the platform andcomprising bores through which the balls extend. The bores have adiameter smaller than the diameter of the balls. The balls in thecomb-shaped plate are kept within their corresponding blind holes byflat washers with frusto-conical central holes.

According to another embodiment, the rollers are cylindrical and aremounted for rotation about an axis transverse to the direction ofdisplacement of the pedestrians. The rollers are disposed withinsemi-cylindrical recesses in the platform and in the comb-shaped plate.The rollers project beyond the surfaces of the platform and comb-shapedplate so as to define the aforesaid bearing surfaces for pedestrians.

In a further embodiment, the platform of the transfer device ispivotally supported on a support frame by supporting feet and looselyfastened to the support frame by two tie-bolts. These tie-bolts arelocated on either side of the platform beyond its bearing surface andallow the inclination of the platform to be adjusted so that the bearingsurfaces are located in a plane substantially in common with thetransport surfaces of both transport elements.

The supporting feet are accommodated within inclined supporting groovesin supporting parts fastened to the support frame. These supportinggrooves extend transversely to the direction of displacement of thepedestrians, permitting a slight displacement of the platform, on theorder of a few millimeters, when the longitudinal grooves of thetransport element hits the teeth of the comb-shaped plate.

Each tie-bolt has a threaded end anchored in a tapped hole of a firsttransverse pin carried by a clevis on the platform. Each tie-bolt'sother threaded end extends, with a clearance, through a bore in a secondtransverse pin that is carried by a clevis fastened to a supporting partthat is itself fastened to the support frame. Two nuts on each tie-boltlocated on either side of the second transverse pin provide limitedaxial play to permit the platform to pivot upwards about the supportingfeet when an object becomes jammed between the longitudinal grooves ofone of the transport elements and the teeth of the comb-like plate.

The invention also provides a conveyor for pedestrians that comprises aconveyor belt and an acceleration or deceleration element at each end ofthe conveyor belt for loading and unloading pedestrians. Transferdevices as previously defined are arranged between the accelerationelement and the conveyor belt and between the conveyor belt and thedeceleration element.

The features and advantages of the invention will be further understoodfrom the following non-limiting description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a belt-type conveyor according to theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed half top-view of the conveyor of FIG. 1 as seen inthe direction of the arrow II.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view from the line III--III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view from the line IV--IV of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of the transfer deviceshown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the invention will be described as applied to thetransportation of pedestrians, but it should be well understood that theinvention is also applicable to the conveyance of other objects such asgoods, luggage, and the like.

The conveyor shown in FIG. 1 disposed between two stationary floors 1and 2 has a substantially flat belt 3 for carrying pedestrians in thedirection shown by the arrow F, referred to as the longitudinaldirection of the belt. The belt 3 is driven by one of two end-drums 4.The drums' 4 axes are arranged transversely to the direction ofdisplacement of the pedestrians.

The conveyor belt 3 moves at a higher seed than a normal pedestrian'swalking pace. To bring the pedestrians from their normal walking pace tothe relatively high speed of the belt 3, and to bring the pedestriansfrom the speed of the belt 3 back to their normal walking pace, theconveyor comprises an acceleration element 5 disposed between thestationary entry floor 1 and the entry of the conveyor belt 3, and adeceleration element 6 disposed between the exit of the conveyor belt 3and the stationary exit floor 2.

The acceleration and deceleration elements 5 and 6 are known asdisclosed in the reference EP-A-0 509 861. More specifically, theacceleration element 5 and the deceleration element 6 comprise a seriesof parallel rolls, imbricated into each other to forming continuoustransport surface for pedestrians. The rolls are driven at speeds thatgradually increase from an entry roll of the acceleration element 5 toan exit roll of this element. The rolls' speed gradually decrease froman entry roll of the deceleration element 6 to an exit roll of thiselement. FIG. 3 shows the acceleration element 5 comprising rolls 7imbricated into each other and defining the transport surface S1 forpedestrians.

A transfer device 8 is disposed in the transition zones between theacceleration element 5 and the conveyor belt 3, and between the conveyorbelt 3 and the deceleration element 6, to allow pedestrians to crossthese transition zones without any loss of equilibrium. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, each transfer device 8 comprises a platform 9 having apedestrian bearing-surface S2 located substantially in a plane common tothe transport surface of the conveyor belt 3 and to the transportsurface S1 of the acceleration element 5 or of the deceleration element6. The transfer device comprises rollers 10 permitting low frictiondisplacement of pedestrians between the acceleration element 5 to theconveyor belt 3 and from the conveyor belt 3 to the deceleration element6.

The transfer device 8 comprises a comb-shaped plate 11 having teeth 12that engage longitudinal grooves of the conveyor belt 3 defined betweenconveyor belt ribs 14. The comb-shaped plate 11 is fastened to theplatform 9, for example by fastening screws 15. The pedestrianbearing-surface S3 of the comb-shaped plate 11 is in substantially thesame plane as the bearing surface S2 of the platform 9. Bearing surfaceS3 is defined by rollers 16 that permit the low-friction displacement ofthe pedestrians from the comb-like plate 11 to the conveyor belt 3 orvice versa.

Preferably, the rollers of the platform 9 and of the comb-shaped plate11 comprise balls 10 and 16. As shown more clearly in FIG. 5, balls 10and 16 are disposed within blind holes 17 in the platform 9. Balls 16are housed within blind holes 18 of the comb-like plate 11.

The balls 10 and 16 are kept within their respective holes 17 and 18while protruding from the platform 9 and the comb-shaped plate 11 so asto define the bearing surfaces S2 and S3. These balls 10 and 16 revolvefreely about themselves in these recesses 17 and 18 as pedestrians passover them.

More specifically, blind holes 17 are formed in a plate 9a fastened tothe platform 9 by screws 9b. A plate 19 is fastened to the plate 9a, forexample by fastening screws 20. The plate 19 comprises bores 21 alignedwith balls 10 but having a smaller diameter than that of balls 10.

The balls 16 are retained in therein corresponding blind holes 18 in thecomb-like plate 11 by flat washers 22. Each washer is accommodated in acounter-bore 23 machined into the plate 11. Each washer 22 has a centralfrusto-conical opening 22a for retaining a ball 16 within its hole 18.

According to an alternative embodiment not shown, the rollers 10 and 16are cylinders mounted transversely of the longitudinal direction of theconveyor belt 3 within corresponding semi-cylindrical recesses in theplatform 9 and of the comb-shaped plate 11. These cylindrical rollersprotrude from platform 9 and plate 11 so to define bearing surfaces S2and S3 for pedestrians.

Furthermore, the platform 9 of the transfer device 8 is pivotallysupported on a support frame 24 by supporting feet 25 arrangedsymmetrically about the longitudinal axis XX' of the belt 3. The freeends 25a of supporting feet 25 are accommodated within inclined grooves26 in supporting parts 27 and 28 that are secured to frame 24, thegrooves 26 being aligned perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis XX' ofthe conveyor belt 3. Two supporting parts 27 are disposed symmetricallyopposite each other about the longitudinal axis XX' of the belt 3 andare fastened to a flange of an inverted L-shaped cross member 29 byfastening screws 30. Cross member 29 is fixed to the frame 24,preferably by welding.

The platform 9 is bilaterally fastened to the support frame 24 by twotie-bolts 31 arranged symmetrically about the axis XX' and on eitherside of the bearing surface S2 of the platform 9. These tie-bolts allowthe slope of platform 9 to be set to a position in which the bearingsurface S2 lies in a plane substantially common to the transportsurfaces of the conveyor belt 3 and the acceleration element 5 or thedeceleration element 6.

Each tie-bolt 31 is oriented substantially in parallel with the axis XX'and has a threaded end portion 31a anchored in a first correspondingtapped hole 32a that extends through a transverse pin 32 carried by aclevis 33 that is itself fastened to an end portion 9c of the platform9. Portion 9c also comprises a supporting foot 25 that is inserted intothe groove 26 of supporting part 28. Supporting part 28 is fastened tothe cross member 29 by fastening screws (not shown). The other threadedend portion 31b of the tie-bolt 31 extends loosely through a bore 34aformed through a second transverse pin 34 carried by a clevis 35 fixedto the supporting part 28. Two nuts 36 and 37 are screwed onto thethreaded portion 31b of the tie-bolt 31 on either side of the transversepin 34. However, the nut 37 is not fully tightened against the secondtransverse pin 34, leaving a clearance j of about 2 millimeters so as topermit a slight pivoting motion of the transfer device 8 about the freeends of the supporting feet 25 in a direction tending to space thecomb-like plate 11 upwards from the conveyor belt 3, as seen in FIG. 3.This pivoting motion occurs when an object becomes jammed between thelongitudinal grooves 13 of the conveyor belt 3 and the teeth 12 of thecomb-shaped plate 11. This motion of the transfer device 8 preferablyactuates a circuit that stops the powered end-drum 4 and thus stops theconveyor belt 3. Normally, however, the transfer device 8 is kept in astationary position by the tie-bolts 31. A central nut 31c permits theaccurate adjustment of the position of the bearing surfaces S2 and S3 ofthe transfer device 8 in relation to the transport surfaces of theconveyor belt 3 and the acceleration element 5 or the decelerationelement 6. As shown in FIG. 3, bearing surfaces S2 and S3 of transferelement 8 may be offset below the transport surface of the conveyor belt3 by up to about 5 millimeters without causing any loss of equilibriumin pedestrians who cross the very small transition zone between the endof the comb-like plate 11 and the conveyor belt 3.

The transverse grooves 26 in the supporting parts 27 and 28 permit atransverse displacement of the transfer device 8 as the free ends 25a ofthe supporting feet 25 slide along these grooves 26 by an amount on theorder of a few millimeters. This sliding may occur when the longitudinalribs 14 of the conveyor belt 3 hit the teeth 12 of the comb-like plate11. The sliding permits the transfer device 8 to compensate for a sidedrift or deflection beyond the offset value d shown in FIG. 2, of theconveyor belt 3 with respect to roll 4. To permit such a transversedisplacement, each transverse pin 34 is mounted into two oblong holes(not shown) of the clevis 35 extending in parallel to the axis XX' ofthe conveyor belt 3.

The transfer device according to the invention has an extremely simplestructure, provides a bearing surface in the same plane as the adjoiningelements, and permits a reversal in the conveyor belt's direction ofoperation. The transfer device according to the invention may also beused in conveyors called "travelators" wherein the conveyor beltconsists of elements linked to each other. The device may further beinstalled between two sequential conveyor belts, either aligned end toend or at an angle. In embodiments disposed between two conveyors, thedevice will comprise two comb-shaped end plates whose teeth are insertedinto the longitudinal grooves of both conveyor belts.

What is claimed is:
 1. A conveyor device comprising:a transfer devicefor transferring objects between two sequential moving-surfaces disposedsubstantially in a common plane, the transfer device including:a rollersupport member mounted pivotally towards and away from at least one ofsaid sequential moving surfaces; and a plurality of rollers rotatablymounted to the roller support member and protruding therefrom, saidrollers defining a bearing-surface substantially disposed in the commonplane and allowing the low-friction displacement of objects between thesequential moving surfaces; wherein the rollers are arranged in groupson the roller support member with generally sequentially decreasingdiameters between groups and the roller support member is configured forextending the bearing surface closer to at least one of the sequentialmoving surfaces.
 2. A conveyor system comprising:a first conveyor with asurface moving at a first speed; a second conveyor with a second movingsurface moving at a second speed including a speed varying element foraltering the speed of the objects between a speed of the othermoving-surface and a different speed; and the device of claim 1 disposedbetween the first and second conveyors to allow the low-frictiondisplacement of objects between the sequential moving surfaces.
 3. Thedevice of claim 1, further comprising a comb attached to said rollersupport member, wherein a conveyer belt defines at least one of thesequential moving surfaces and has longitudinal grooves, and said combslidably engages the longitudinal grooves.
 4. The device of claim 1,further comprising:a conveyer belt defining at least one of thesequential moving surfaces and having a longitudinal axis andlongitudinal grooves; a plate mounted on said roller support member,said plate defining a comb for slidably engaging the longitudinalgrooves; and at least one of the rollers rotatably housed in said plateand protruding therefrom.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein a conveyerbelt driven by a drum defines at least one of the sequential movingsurfaces, the drum having a drum center, at least one of said rollersbeing disposed above the drum, said rollers of smaller diameter beingdisposed closer to a point above the center of the drum.
 6. The deviceof claim 5, wherein said rollers comprise balls.
 7. The device of claim6, whereina ball-retaining plate is fixed to said roller support memberand defines bores having a diameter smaller than said diameter of theballs for retaining at least some of said balls in said roller supportmember, said retained balls protruding through said bores of theball-retaining plate.
 8. The device of claim 6, furthercomprising:ball-retaining washers that retain at least some of saidballs within said roller support member, each ball-retaining washerdefining a central frusto-conical opening, the opening having a diametersmaller than the diameter of the retained balls.
 9. The device of claim1, further comprising a conveyer belt driven by a drum defining at leastone of the sequential moving surfaces, said rollers being disposed abovesaid drum.
 10. The device of claim 1, wherein said roller support memberis supported on a support frame pivotally towards and away from at leastone of said sequential moving-surfaces.
 11. A transfer device fortransferring objects between two sequential moving-surfaces disposedsubstantially in a common plane, comprising:a support frame; a rollersupport member mounted on the support frame pivotally towards and awayfrom at least one of said sequential moving surfaces; more than tworollers rotatably mounted to the roller support member and protrudingtherefrom such that the roller support member retains the rollers infixed association with each other, said rollers defining a firstbearing-surface substantially disposed in the common plane, said rollersallowing the low-friction displacement of objects between the sequentialmoving surfaces; and a pivot range limiter for adjusting a slope andpivotal position of said roller support member with respect to thecommon plane, said pivot range limiter having an adjustable length andbeing pivotally attached to both said roller support member and saidsupport frame.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the pivot rangelimiter includes a pair of tie-bolts disposed on opposite sides of saidroller support member and beyond said bearing surface.
 13. The device ofclaim 11, wherein the pivot range limiter includes a tie-bolt, thedevice further comprising:a clevis fixed to said support frame; atransverse pin rotatably extending through said clevis perpendicularlyto said tie-bolt, said transverse pin defining a bore; a first threadedend of said tie-bolt loosely fitting through the bore in said transversepin; and a nut screwed onto said first threaded end on each side of saidtransverse pin for limiting pivotal travel of said frame, said nutsbeing spaced from each other such that a gap is defined between at leastone of said nuts and said pin.
 14. A transfer device for transferringobjects between two sequential moving-surfaces disposed substantially ina common plane, comprising:a support frame; a roller support membermounted on the support frame; a plurality of rollers rotatable mountedto the roller support member and protruding therefrom for defining afirst bearing-surface substantially disposed in the common plane, saidfirst rollers allowing the low-friction displacement of objects betweenthe sequential moving surfaces; a comb comprising teeth fixed to saidplatform roller support member; a conveyer belt defining at least one ofthe sequential moving surfaces and having a longitudinal axis andlongitudinal ribs, said teeth slidably meshing between the longitudinalribs; and at least one supporting member fixed to said roller supportmember and defines a supporting groove extending perpendicularly to thelongitudinal axis of the conveyor belt; wherein said roller supportmember comprises at least one supporting foot pivotally supported insaid at supporting groove such that said foot may slide along saidgroove when the longitudinal ribs force said teeth laterally.
 15. Thedevice of claim 14, wherein the conveyer belt is driven by a drum, saidrollers being disposed above said drum.
 16. The device of claim 1,wherein the rollers are freely rotatable.
 17. The device of claim 1,wherein the roller support member comprises a platform.
 18. The deviceof claim 11, wherein the pivot range limiter is adjustable to vary thepivot range.
 19. The device of claim 11, wherein the pivot range limitercomprises a tie-bolt having an adjustable length and being pivotallyattached to both the roller support member and the support frame.
 20. Atransfer device for transferring pedestrians between a first pedestrianmoving-surface and a conveyer belt having a longitudinal axis andlongitudinal ribs and defining a second pedestrian-moving surface, thepedestrian-moving surfaces being substantially disposed in a commonplane, the device comprising:a support frame; a supporting member fixedto said support roller support member, said supporting member definingat least one supporting groove extending perpendicularly to thelongitudinal axis of the conveyor belt; a roller support member defininga comb for slidably meshing between the longitudinal ribs of theconveyor belt, said roller support member having supporting feet beingpivotally supported in said at least one supporting groove such thatsaid roller support member may pivot towards and away from the conveyorbelt when an object becomes jammed between said roller support memberand the conveyor belt, and such that said feet may slide along saidgroove when the longitudinal ribs force said comb laterally, the rollersupport member; at least one tie-bolt for adjusting a slope and pivotalposition of said roller support member with respect to the common planeand for limiting pivotal travel of said roller support member, saidtie-bolt having an adjustable length and being pivotably attached toboth said roller support member and said support frame; and ballsrotatably housed in said roller support member and protruding therefromdefining a pedestrian bearing-surface substantially disposed in thecommon plane and allowing low-friction displacement of objects betweenthe pedestrian-moving surfaces.
 21. The device of claim 20, wherein theconveyer belt is driven by a drum, said balls being disposed above saiddrum.
 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the drum has a center, a firstgroup of said balls has a first equatorial diameter, and a second groupof said balls has a second equatorial diameter smaller than said firstequatorial diameter, said second group of balls being disposed closer apoint above the center of the drum than first group of balls.